Articles on Electric Vehicles

September 5, 2019
Paul Gipe

Setting a Charging Schedule for the Chevy Bolt EV

I was talking to a Chevy Bolt newby and in the course of the conversation I found that they knew another Bolt driver who charged off-peak using a cheap 120-volt timer you can get at any big box store because of the lower electricity rates. This rang several alarm bells.

First, it's not a good practice to frequently use a residential electrical outlet (receptacle) for heavy loads. Electrical outlets, like everything else, wear out with frequent use and occasionally the outlets need to be replaced.

Charging an electric car daily by plugging in and unplugging a mobile charge cable (EVSE or Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) from a wall outlet could create a hazard.

One of the costs of using an EV is the cost of properly installing a 240-volt EVSE. The EVSE can be hard-wired to the home's electrical circuit or it can be plugged into an appropriately rated receptacle. Either way is fine. The 240-volt EVSE will charge the EV in a fraction of the time of a low-power 120-volt EVSE. It's worth it. Just hire an electrician and get it done right.

Placing a cheap timer in between the EVSE and the 120-volt electrical outlet is just asking for trouble. Most timers were intended for low-power lamps and not the continuous draw of the maximum current the outlet is rated for.

Electric cars use a lot of electricity--that's what makes them go. You can't skimp on this.

There's an old and lengthy discussion about a Timer for EVSE? on mynissanleaf.com. Some are fine with it, others not. I am not.

And why bother with a cheap timer when most EVs already include timers? For example, the Chevy Bolt EV has a charge timer built in. All you need to do is program it. The car will do the rest.